Neonatal Vitamin D Status Is Associated with the Severity of Brain Injury in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study

Objective The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration at birth and the short-term outcomes in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Our secondary aim was to evaluate the effect of postnatal vitamin D supplementation on outcomes in the perinatal period after hypoxic injury. Study Design This retrospective cohort study included all infants ≥35 weeks gestation admitted to a regional level IV neonatal intensive care unit and diagnosed with moderate or severe HIE. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate associations between clinical outcomes including standardized brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scores and either 25OHD concentrations in the first 48 hours of life or total vitamin D supplementation. Result A total of 43 infants met inclusion criteria; 22 had 25OHD concentrations drawn within the first 48 hours. There was a significant inverse association between 25OHD concentration and brain injury on MRI (p = 0.017). There was a trend toward decreased ventilator days in infants receiving higher doses of vitamin D in the first week of life (p = 0.062), but there was no association between vitamin D dosing and MRI injury. Conclusion These results support an association between lower vitamin-D levels and early adverse outcomes in HIE, including radiographic severity of brain injury.